Last Chance: Free Museum Adventure Passes Through Hennepin County Library

For everyone who has spent time gazing at the Museum Adventure Pass kiosks at their local Hennepin County Library, but never followed through on their curiosity, now is your last chance.

The program and the opportunity to visit area museums and other Twin Cities destinations for free goes through Sept. 3, 2012. 

It is the sixth final year for the Museum Adventure Pass program, which has been a partnership between Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) and Macy's.

During the past five years, the participating cultural organizations have donated 1.3 million worth of free admissions to library patrons in the metro area, according to a MELSA press release when the program started its final year in the fall of 2011. A program, MELSA said, which was "not meant to be permanent."

"In this kind of economy, it is difficult for the destination organizations to maintain the free admissions. MELSA looks forward to continuing to partner with all of the organizations involved in new ways in the years to come," according to the release. "We hope that everyone who has benefited from the museum passes will thank the participating organizations and continue to support them through paid admissions and memberships."

The absence of the program will be felt, a Bakken spokesperson told Patch. Given advanced warning, the museum has been working on various programs to take the Adventure Pass's place, including ticket giveaways.

A spokesperson said the impact on her museum remains to be seen. 

"We're hoping visitors who did use the pass will come back, and I think we have a very good shot at that," she said. "Once people come to the museum the fall in love with it. The problem is getting them through the door in the first place—that's where the pass helped us out."

There are 41 library locations in the Hennepin County Library system.

Editor's note: Have you ever used the Museum Adventure Pass program? Share your destination and experience in comments!